Tomb or burial-vault.



T. if; MUORE.

Mim

2 SHEETS-SHEET z Patented Deo. 29, 1908.

5 1s portion of a vault showing a form of my 1n- UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

THOMAS J. MOORE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Toms on BURIAL-VAULT.

No. 908,305. l

Specication of Letters Patent.

,Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Application led February 14, 1908. Serial No. 415,861.

single vault or a series of vaults for the reception of a body or bodies, said vault or series of vaults being so constructed that each lshall be hermetically sealed and rendered burglar proof. Various plans have heretofore been devised for the disposition of the dead bodies Y of human beings, and that generally adopted of burying the bodies in the earth, is open to many objections'such as the rifling of the grave by body-snatchers and the conveyance of iluids land gases produced by the decomposition of bodies which vpermeate the soil, rand which, especially around laces largely populated, endangers the heath of the living. The object of my invention is to provide a grave for the Y dead which shall be secure 3o --a amst all efforts at rijling, and in which all '.t e `injurious Yetfectupon the health of'the living by burialin t eearth shall be prevented.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is avertical transverse section of my improved burialvault.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same at the line x, of Fig. 1. Fi 3 is a vertical transverse section of a doub e vault. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of a 4o vault adapted to receive but one body. Fig.

a vertical longitudinalsection of. a

, vention. y

In carrylng out my lnventlon, I make an excavation in the earth oi the desired de th and dimensions, andupon the bottom I ay a foundation a otconcrete or like material J about one `foot thick. I then build up in- ',closingside walls, 1, 2, 3, 4, of the same material- 'and of lkethickness, 'and provide a ledger stone b which may rest upon vthe top of the walls to cover the entire structure as vshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 or the upperpart of the walls may be rabbeted to receive thev ledger stone,

as shqwn in' Fig. 3. At about equal distances apart, I channel orl form wide 'horizontal grooves c in the inner faces of lthe, side walls, which grooves may extend entirely around the structure or may be made 'in two opposite walls orly if desired.

.These channels or grooves I prefer to make one foot wide and about tWo inches deep.

I rovide horizontal inclosing partitioned whic are placed in the respective grooves c and rest upon the bottom thereof, thus dividing the tomb into a series of vaults 5, 6, 7. These partitions d may be slabs of concrete or slate, as shown in Figs. 1, v2, 3 and 4,

or may be of corrugated metal, as shown A at d in Fig. 5, or they may be of any suitable material.

When the lirst burial is made in the lower vault 5, the ledger stone b and all the partitionsd are removed and the body placed in the vault. One of the Iprtitions d is then placed in the groove at t e top of the lower vault 5 and upon this partition is laid concrete or like materiale of a depth sufficient Ato entirelyjfillup the groove and the spacebetween the bottom and top thereof. It .will thus be seen that the to `oi this body of concrete e forms a bottom 'or the vault 6 and at the same time, the' lower vault 5 is hermetically sealed and rendered secure against riliing. Alter thel first burial has been made as aforesaid, the other partitions d and the ledger stone b are placed back into position Where they remain untilv another burial is to be made, when the Vsame operation is performed with the next lower vault, and so on until all the -vaults are occupied and the spaces b etween them lled withthe concrete orl 'ke material; thus hermetically sealing each vault'. and. rendering the entire tomb secu-re i against .bodysnatchers or rifling.

As a means of strengthening or reinforcing the concrete between the vaults, I rovide metal cross rods or bars h, the ends o which ma rest in recesses i, made for suchpurpose wit in the grooves c in the side Walls as 'shown in Fig. 3, or the upper halves of the grooves c may halves to form ledges lc upon-which the ends of the cross rods or bars h may rest, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In Iplace ofthe rods or bars h, or in connection t erewith, I may em# loy angle irons h or corrugatedfmetal strips 2, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be readily understood that any number of vaults may be made in this manner in one tomb, or the tomb may be made large enough to have a be cut deeper than the lower central vertical diyiding partition or wall 'I r My invention is also applicab e to a single within the grave as shown in Fig. 4, which ure represents the'grave after a burial has een made and the vault sealed accordin to my invention, and'y it will also be seen t at the vaults may receive urns or boxes containing lthe ashes of cremated bodies.

In Fi 1, 2 and 5, I have shown the bota* tom va t 5 as containing a casket box t, and the said vault sealed accordin to my inven tion, and Fi 3 represents a the'vaults' on one side of t e vertical partition or Wall f as containing casket boxes t and the vaults` sealed according to my invention, while all the vaults on the other side of the partition or vertical Wallf are shown in said Fig. 3, as empty, but with the partitions d, cross bars h and ledger stone b in position. It is preferable that the side walls 1, 2, 3, 4, ofthe tomb do not extend' uite up to the top of the excavation, but t at they be kept well below the level of the plot, as shown m Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, in order to admit of growing sod, lants pto., but if desired, a sarcophagus may be built over the underground structure or it may serve as an underground vault to a chapel or mausoleum, where eople desire to adhere to the custom of eartli burial.

While I prefer to make use of concrete, I do not limit myself to that material, as I may employ cement, brick, artificial stone, or other suitable material.

I claim as my invention:

1. An underground burial vault having-a bottom and side and end Walls of concrete or similar material with a horizontal groove in the inner faces of said walls at a distance from the bottom of the vault sufficient to leave a space beneath suitable for the reception of a coffin, ahorizontal partition resting within the groove, said groove being of a depth to allow for the insertion of a partition after the side and end walls have been constructed, and a concrete material body supported upon said partition and filling the entire groove to a level with its top thereby extenulng into the cavity 'in the walls and whereby when the concrete material is hardened, the solid concrete body is Alocked roove and the grave beneath rendered bot moisture and burglar proof.

2. A tomb formed under round having a bottom and side and end Wa ls of concrete or similar material, and spaced apart horizontal rooves in the inner faces ofthe said walls, orizontal partitions supported in said grooves and dividing the tomb into a series of burial vaults, saidgrooves being of a depth to allow for the insertion of the artitions after the side and end walls have een constructed, and a body of concrete or similar eoaso l bottom and side and end Walls of concrete or similar material, and spaced apart horizontal grooves 4in the inner faces of the said Walls, horizontal partitions supported iny said f grooves and dividing the tomb into a series ofburial vaults, said grooves being of a depth to fallow for the insertion of the 'partitions after the side and end Walls have been constructed, a body of concreteor similar material 'laid upon the respective partitions, and crossbars within the body of concrete or similar material for reinforcing such material, said body of concrete or similar material filling the entire grooves to a level with their tops, thereby extending into the cavities in the vwalls and whereby when the concrete y material is hardened, the solid concretebody containing said cross bars, is locked within the inner walls of the tomb and the gravesV separately rendered both moisture and'burglar proof. A

4. A tomb formed underground having a bottom and side and end walls offconcrete or similar material and a central vertical partition or wall of the same material, said side walls and said vertical partition o'r wall having spaced a art horizontal grooves in their inner faces, orizontal partitions supported in said grooves and dividing the tomb at each side of the vertical partition or wall into a series of burial' vaults, said grooves being of a depth to allow for the insertion of thehorizontal partitions aft-er the side and end walls and central vertical partition or wall have been constructed, and a body of concrete or similar material laid upon the respective horizontal partitions and filling the entire grooves to a levell with their to s, thereby extepding into the cavities in t e side walls and central partition'or wall and whereby when the concrete material is hardened,'the solid concrete body is locked within the inner walls andV central partition or Wall of the tomb and the graves vse arately rendered both moisture and burg ar roof.

5. A tomb formed underground having a bottom and side and end walls of concrete or similar material and a central vertical parti.-

tion or wall of the same material, .said side walls and vvertical partition or Wallv having spaced apart horizontal groovesin their. inv and central vertical partition or wall have 130 been constructed, a body of concrete or simi-- lar material laid upon the res ective horizontal partitions, cross-bars wit the body of concrete or similar material for reinforcing ture and burg ar Iii-got. d D b 21st ay of ecem er, 15.

b such material, said body of concrete or similar material. filling the entire grooves to a level with their tops, thereby extending into the cavities in the Walls and central partition, and whereby when the concrete material is 10 hardened, the solid concrete body containing V-said cross-bars is locked within the inner vWalls and central partition of the tomb and the graves se arately rendered both mois- Slgned by me t 1907.

. THOMASv J. MOORE. Witnesses: A

Go. T. PINcKNEY, BERTHA M ALLEN. 

